As the Seder draws near, Jews of all stripes become oenophiles, setting out to stores to choose the perfect wine for their Passover meals. As with the meals themselves, which by now include vegetarian and gourmet selections as well as the traditional brisket, kosher wine options have increased exponentially in recent years, leaving brains swimmingRead More
When Moses and the children of Israel hastily left Egypt, they had to worry about that weird bread that didn’t rise and how to cross the Red Sea pursued by Pharaoh’s soldiers. The last-minute departure allowed for no time to plan ahead. Fortunately, God led the way and sent manna.When my husband, Eli, and I decided to celebrate Passover withRead More
I never gave serious thought to changing my last name (it’s about as Jewish as you can get) until I realized how pervasive antisemitism has become. I am in my 50s and beyond the age where it might matter, but my daughters are in their early teens and will soon be applying to college and then entering the work force. I amRead More
Moses and Aaron, bent with wandering, walk from the Tent of Meeting. Aaron: This one is trouble.Moses: You’re a worrier. You thought the commandment on adultery would be trouble.Aaron: No. That one people could simply ignore. This one is trouble. Trust me.M: Don’t be silly. Men and women don’t want relations at that timeRead More
While working on his forthcoming anthology “Women in Yiddish Poetry,” Barnett Zumoff noticed that many of these poems written about Jewish women or by Jewish women revolved around the theme of “mother.” As a result, he has compiled a selection of such poems in a separate volume, titled “About Mother: Yiddish Poets Speak.” OneRead More
Gefilte fish is at once the zenith and nadir of Ashkenazic cookery: Is there any other dish that so typifies its extraordinary resourcefulness in the Old World and its long decline in the New?Gefilte fish is a forcemeat — chopped and seasoned meat or fish usually used for stuffing — made from ground-up freshwater fish mixedRead More
My parents sold their house, my childhood home. (I have issues about this, but I’ll deal with them in therapy rather than in this column.) Their new apartment is large enough to hold a brisket and a large matzo ball, but not simultaneously. So this year, Jonathan and I are hosting Passover for the first time.It’s a big deal. It’s a bigRead More
French champagne and canapés greeted arrivals at the March 19 “Sounds French: A Festival of New Music from France” reception at the Fifth Avenue headquarters of the French Embassy’s Cultural Services. The evening celebrated the month-long series of performances of works by French composers at New York City concert halls.Read More
Last month when my mother died I followed her wishes for a funeral with a minimum of fuss and religious ritual. I arranged for a graveside service with a Reform rabbi and requested that only immediate family attend. I was aghast when an Orthodox cousin whom I had not seen in 40 years showed up and proceeded to shovel earth into myRead More
December, inaugurating the world’s first entirely kosher Caribbean cruise. While in recent years, more and more cruise ships have specialized in trips offering frozen glatt kosher food or a separate kosher dining room, Shollar’s Chosen Voyage is to be the first luxury ship to be made entirely kosher, from bow to stern. For five weeksRead More
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